A day in Phang Nga Bay

While in Phuket you can't help but notice the signs advertising day trips to "James Bond Island."  We decided to book a tour and see what it was all about.  Tour operators on Phuket may try to charge full price on the tours, many of which are priced at over $100, but we were advised by other travellers that you can only pay 1/3 of the cost listed on the brochures.  Luckily we dealt with a reasonable agent and she gave me the reasonable price straight up without any haggling.

We were picked up early in the morning and taken to the pier by van, waiting a while before boarding the boat which would take us around Phang Nga Bay.  The boat ride was better than I expected.  I didn't think the scenery would be too spectacular along the way, but it was beautiful.  Limestone rocks, mangrove forests, and clear turquoise water... I never got bored looking at the views while we sailed along!

Phang Nga Bay

The first stop on our trip was to do sea canoeing in caves on islands in the bay.  At first I was a bit skeptical, as we transferred from our big boat onto small sea canoes along with many other tourists - all headed through the same narrow cave opening in the rock.  After a traffic jam in the cave, we emerged on the other side into an amazing lagoon.  We were surrounded by huge rock walls on all sides, with tropical plants growing from the rocks, and mangroves coming out of the water.  It was much better than I expected!  The open space allowed us to get away from the other sea canoes and appreciate the beautiful views.

Emerging from the cave...

Secret lagoon on the other side of the cave

Enjoying the sea canoe!

After our sea canoe experience, we were paddled back to the big boat where we had a delicious lunch of Thai food, and then made our way towards Koh Panyee.  Koh Panyee is a floating fishing village that was established at the end of the 18th century by nomadic fishermen.  It has a high Muslim population, evidenced by the mosque on the island.  It was interesting to see the school on the island, complete with a floating soccer field and play area, although I think the main reason we were taken to this island was in the hopes that we might buy something from the local shop keepers who were lined up waiting for all the tourists!

Koh Panyee

The next stop on our tour was the famous "James Bond Island," also known as Khao Phing Kan to Thai people.  A scene from the James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun" was filmed here, hence the name James Bond Island.  I have never seen the movie before, so I don't think I fully appreciated being there, but it was another beautiful place filled with tons of tourists.  We took our photos and then waited to get back on the boat, elbowing our way through the crowds.

James Bond Island

What it really looked like ...

For the last part of our tour, the boat stopped in a shaded bay with a small private beach.  We had some free time to swim, relax, or do sea canoeing on our own.  John and I took out a sea canoe and paddled around.  The waters in the bay were so calm and no other boat was there.  Luckily we almost had the bay to ourselves, aside from a few other people on our tour who also were paddling or swimming around.

When it was time to leave, one of the guides made a whistling sound to call the sea eagles.  We had eagles swooping down to our boat as we made our way through Phang Nga back to Phuket - pretty cool!  Despite the fact that many of the places we visited on the tour were crowded with tourists, I enjoyed the day and was impressed with the beautiful scenery.

Sea eagles following our boat - goodbye Phang Nga Bay!